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Gardeners' Notes:

Cousins to this plant include Michelia figo, the much-loved "Banana Shrub" of the Deep South, with its small, creamy-colored, fragrant flowers that do smell like bananas; and Michelia champaca, with pale orange, very fragrant flowers, has been named the national flower of the Philippines. I love fragrant flowers; to find them on beautiful, evergreen, magnolia-type shrubs (that will grow in partial shade in the coastal South U.S.) is really outstanding, as a lot of beautiful shrubs have insignificant flowers.

My Southern Living Garden Book says Michelia doltsopa will grow in the coastal South, which includes USDA zones 8b and 9a, but perhaps this cultivar is not as cold hardy as the species.